AMERICAN EDITION. ix 



and apparently unmeaning and irksome details of the art. 

 With what increased satisfaction are the common processes 

 of manuring or transplanting carried on, to say nothing 

 of the more delicate operations of~ budding, grafting, 

 propagating by layers, &c, when we are acquainted with 

 the structure of the plants we are endeavoring to control, 

 and comprehend the why and the wherefore of every step 

 we pursue ! With this knowledge of vital actions, new 

 modes of culture, and various improvements in the 

 operations of the art, are continually suggested to the 

 reflective mind ; which derives additional pleasure from the 

 prosecution of scientific experiments, of which the ignorant 

 laborer, who turns over the soil and sows his seeds in 

 precisely the same manner under all circumstances, never 

 dreams. 



Besides the higher gratification which Horticulture 

 affords, when its principles are understood, the increased 

 profit, derived from the superior quality and augmented 

 quantity of the products, and the greater certaintv of 

 success in culture, should not be forgotten. Were the 

 labours of the gardener always confined to the same en- 

 closure, the same soil, and the same climate, a formal routine 

 of practice would frequently produce all the desired results. 

 But as scarcely two soils are exactly alike, as the position 

 or exposure of a garden has a great influence on its 

 productiveness, and as his operations must be varied 

 according to varying circumstances to ensure success, how 

 important is it that the enterprising cultivator should 



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